My schedule is pretty tight these days. I work 20 hours a week. I'm on the Best Fiction for Young Adults selection committee. I serve on the STEM Resources Coordinating Task Force. I'm trying to get settled after an unexpected move. I'm also training for my first-ever 5k, which I plan to run in August. What has all this busy-ness taught me? Something simple, yet profound (and potentially life-changing). You make time for the things that matter.
I had the great honor of representing the North Independence Branch at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival at the Sermon Center on Sunday, May 6th. If you aren’t familiar with the Cherry Blossom Festival, you’re not alone! I had heard of it only in passing.
It's that time of year again. It's warming up outside, students everywhere are counting down to the end of the school year, and here at MCPL, we're gearing up for the Summer Reading Program! In order to encourage kids and teens to retain the literacy skills they've learned at school, the library works to reward reading achievement when class isn't in session. Research has shown that at least 15 minutes of sustained daily reading prevents information loss. The brain wants to be stimulated, and we're in the business of making sure it gets its fill.
Yes, I rode a bicycle around the neighborhood when I was 10, but I have a confession to make. While I hit the trails on a regular basis these days, it's a love that was only re-ignited 3 years ago. After saving up for a while, I decided to take a vacation to Denmark in 2009. Why Denmark? Why not?
In case you hadn't noticed, we don't live in a perfect world. We're engaged in a war for resources. Unemployment is alarmingly high. Our education system is in dire need of reform. The list goes on and on. The way things are goes a long way toward explaining the explosion of dystopia in young adult fiction. When we consider the motivations of the characters in these books, some part of us is also thinking about ourselves. How would we find food if we had to? How far would we go to survive? Is security preferable to freedom or is it the other way around?
Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic
For "sentimentalists," April 14th marked the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic. For its day, the British-built RMS Titanic was considered to be the largest and most luxurious passenger liner in the world. On her maiden voyage, she carried 2,224 passengers, including some notable personages such as J.J. Astor, "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, and J. Bruce Ismay, who was the director of the White Star Line. The majority of her passengers though were immigrants traveling to America to seek a better life.
Are you a fan of the Muppets? Then, be sure to stop into the Juvenile section of the North Independence Branch. Peyton Jenkins, the Assistant Manager of the Buckner Branch, has generously loaned his extensive collection to the library to display.
Most of us are constantly spending money. We pay for plumbers and electricians when our own know-how fails us. We often unthinkingly stop by McDonald's on the way home from work or pick up boxed dinners at the grocery store. We replace appliances. We buy tools and materials to repair our own homes (usually at the local Home Depot or Lowes). We enjoy a cup of coffee from Starbucks on our way to work if our budgets allow for it. We might even browse the mall on weekends or see the latest blockbuster at the movie theatre.
In economically trying times, many publishers are hesitant to cooperate with libraries when it comes to eBook lending. A big part of the problem is the lack of a clear way of thinking about electronic content. Who owns it? How many times should it be used before libraries are charged for it again (as they would be for a bound copy)? How can the information contained in a volume be preserved for future generations? The result is a collection that leaves much to be desired. But what can we do about it?
